Electric steaming iron



Feb. 25, 1941. v. ECKSTEIN ELECTRIC STEAIING IRON Filed June 30, 1939 aPatented Feb. 25, 1941 l h ""QUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,233,04a itmerino srnamma moN Louis v. Eckstcin, st. Louis, Mo assignmto. v ErnestF. Polil, St. Louis, Mo. a

i Application June so, 1939, Serial no. 282,290

' 2 Claims. (eras-11) The invention relates to a pressing, iron. In thedrawing: An object of the present invention is to simplify Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional view of an and improve the construction ofelectric steamelectric steaming iron constructed in accordance ingirons, more especially the means for conwith this invention. ductingsteam from the water reservoir to the Figure? is a transverse sectionalview taken on pressing surface of the iron and to materially t e l e 2-2of Figure 1. v reduce the cost of manufacture of the pressing re 3 is adetail l n n l s ctional V w iron and at the same time provide anelectric of the front portion of the electric steaming iron 2 Steamingiron of great Strength, durability, and illustrating another form of theinvention in increased length of life and efilciency; which steam isconducted directly from the water 1 A further object of the invention isto enable r rvoir through the par n w h, Separates i electric steamingirons to beconstructed with a the Water reservoir from the Water pp endminimum amount of material and with few parts, Steam Conditioningchamberwh reby the 2 amou t of l b required in t Figure 4 is atransverse sectional view taken on 1a manufacture ofthe irons and thecost of producthe e of Figure i I ing th gam w n h t rmiy d In theaccompanying drawing in which is illusi Another object of t t-4 is tprgvlde trated the preferred embodiments of the invenan electricsteaming ironincluding a water reser- 91011, the electric Steaming iron(10111911585 111 its voir andmeans for heating water within the sameconstruction a hollow body or i I 0 approxi- 2 and provided at thefront-with a combined water mately the and dinv vn 29 v trap and heatconditioning chamber adapted to tion serial ed by. mel n oraboutenablesteam to be taken substantially directly Febrilery 1939- 1 fromthe water reservoir without the employ- The hollow body consists Of S lecastin of ment of a steam dome and'capable of conditionaluminum or otherSuitable material and com 25 ing such steam and of enabling the same tobe ris s top and bottom walls 2 and 3 and side 25 delivered to thepressing surface of the iron deand real Wells 4 and 5 f dhin e rai withone void of water, so that only team having t another; therebyeliminating the packing and the desired moisture content will bedischarged from fastening means which are necesser! w n the th ir y Vbottom of the body is constructed separate from so A further object ofthe invention is to provide the wellsihereof is detwhiiblr secured tothe a foolproof electric steaming iron which may be latter- A150 by o rc the ygof the set up on its heel end without liability of floodingPressing iron a single casting-the on s rent means for conducting steamfrom e water dered practically foolproof and willnot burn out reservoirto the pressing surface of the iron and becmne inoperative Should be lwith the which will be adapted to ,afic d a steady, unifor currentturned on and unattended and without 35 flow of properly conditionedSteam directly to any water in thewater reservoir 6. 'I'his will-alsothe garment or other fabric being ironed and Practically eliminate thenecessifiy 0f rebuilding capable of being operated as rapidly as desiredpressing irons of this character which, due to the without afl ctm theoperation f the water aforesaid neglect, have become leaky or otherwise40 trapping and steam conditioning means, so that mopemflvee there willbe no liability of unduly wetting gar- The hollow y I is providedadjacent its front merits and other fabrics and which will entirely endwith a transverse rtition 1 dividin the obviate the necessity ofpredampening fabrics to t 0f the hollow y into the Waterresenconditionthe same for ironing. voir 5 and a front water trappingand steam With the above and other objects in view, the n i ion nchamber 8. The water compar h winvention consists, in the constructionand novel ment or reservoir is designed to receive a quarn combinationand arrangement of parts hereinti ty of water to be converted intosteam, the level after fully described, illustrated in the accomof thewater being indicated at 9 in Figure 1 of panying drawing and pointedout in the claims the drawing. With the exception of the means heretoappended, it being understood that varifor dividing the interior of thehollow body into 50 ans changes in the iorm, proportions and minor thewater trapp n and steam conditioning chamdetails of construction, withinthe scope of the her 8 and .the waiterreservoir or compartment 9 claims,maybe resortedtowithout departing from and the means for conductingsteam from the thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of waterreservoir to the chamber 8 and to the be the invention. a pressingsurface of the iron; the p essing iron 5 is constructed substantiallythe same as that shown and described in the aforesaid application.

The hollow body of the pressing iron is provided at the bottom with ashoe l0 preferably consisting of a gray iron casting coated or plated torender it rustpr-oof, but any other suitable heat retaining metal, suchas cast steel, may be employed in the construction of the shoe, which isprovided with a lower pressing surface The shoe conforms totheconfiguration of the body of the pressing iron which fits snuglyagainst the upper face of the shoe at the marginal edges thereof, and issecured to the same by bolts l2 extending through the bottom of thehollow body I and engaging threaded recesses 13 in the shoe. Both thelower face of the bottom wall 3 of the body and the upper face of theshoe are correspondingly recessed to provide an intervening chamber Hfor the reception of an electric heating element |5 which is adapted toconvert the water within the reservoir into steam. The heatingelement/l5, which is preferably constructed as shown and described inthe aforesaid application, may be of any desired construction. The lowerface of the bottom wall 3 of the hollow body and the upper face of theshoe I0 are provided with annular bosses l6 and I! which have groundcontacting surfaces to form a water tight fitting around the bolts I2.

The bolts |2 are provided with enlarged heads l8 having threaded socketsfor the reception of the lower threaded ends IQ of screws or bolts 20,which pierce a cover plate 2| and secure the same over an opening 22 inthe top Wall 2 of the hollow body of the pressing iron. Washers 23 areinterposed between the heads H! of the bolts I2 and the upper face ofthe bottom wall 3 of the hollow body, and, when the bolts are screwedtightly home, a water-tight joint or connection is provided, so thatthere is no liability of any leakage of water from the reservoir intothe compartment I4 which contains the heating unit IS.

The bolts 20 are provided at their upper ends with heads 24 and washers25 are interposed between the heads 24 of the screws or bolts 20 and theupper face of the cover plate 2| to form a water-tight connection orjoint. Also a packing 26 of suitable material is interposed between themarginal portions of the cover plate 2| and the top wall 2 of the bodyof the pressing iron to prevent leakage of water from the reservoir. Theelectric heating unit l5 as shown and described in the aforesaidapplication conforms generally to the configuration of the base I0 andthe heating unit receiving compartment l4 terminates short of the frontend of the pressing iron and the lower fiace of the bottom wall 3 andthe upper face of the shoe ID are recessed at the front end of thepressing iron to provide a tapering steam receiving chamber 21 providedin its bottom wall with perforations 28 leading to the pressing surfaceof the shoe of the pressing iron for the discharge of steam at thepressing surface for dampening clothes and other fabrics being ironed.

The fixed terminals 29 of the electric heating unit extend through therear portion of the bottom of the hollow body beyond the water reservoiror compartment and are located within a recess 30 formed at the exteriorof the rear-end of the body I, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of thedrawing.

Steam is conducted substantially directly from the upper portion of thereservoir to the water trapping and steam conditioning chamber v8 by anapproximately L-shaped pipe 3| extending horizontally through thepartition 1 and vertically in rear of the partition and terminatingadjacent the top wall of the hollow body, as clearly illustrated inFigures 1 and 2 of the drawing. The pipe 3| permits steam from the waterreservoir to pass through it into the water trapping and steamconditioning chamber, and, should any water be carried by the steam intothe said chamber 8, it will drop by gravity into the lower portionthereof and be converted by the heat of the hollow vbody into steamproperly conditioned for discharge from the pressing surface of the shoeof the pressing iron.

In order to prevent water from splashing against the pipe 3|, the hollowbody is provided with a transverse baflle 32 extending entirely acrossthe hollow body and from the top to the bottom thereof and provided inits upper portion above the water level with a plurality of holes 33 forthe passage of steam. The battle will shield the pipe 3| and preventwater from splashing into the same and comparatively little water, ifany,-

will enter the pipe and pass into the water trapping and steamconditioning chamber and such water will be converted into properlyconditioned steam in the chamber 8. Any water splashing through theholes 33 in the baflle 32 and not entering the upperend of pipe 3| willbe trapped between the partition I and the bafile 32 below the holes 33in the baffle 32 and be converted into steam for passage through thepipe 3| to the steam and conditioning chamber 8. The baffle 32, which isconstructed separate from the hollow body I, may be secured within thesame in any suitable manner, such as brazing, soldering, pressurefitting, and the like.

Steam is conducted directly from the upper portion of the water trappingand steam conditioning chamber 8 to the steam chamber 21 by means of asteam pipe 34 having a relatively small bore and extending upwardly fromthe front portion of the bottom wall of the hollow body and connected atits lower end 35 by a suitable coupling 36 with a threaded opening 38 inthe top wall of the steam chamber 21. The top wall of the steam chamber21 is enlarged around the threaded opening 38 by a boss 39. The coupling36 consists of an exteriorly threaded sleeve sweated on the lower end 35of the steam pipe 34, but it may be secured to the steam pipe in anyother desired manner. The coupling sleeve 36 is provided at its lowerend with a polygonal wrench receiving flange 40 which fits tightlyagainst the lower face of the top wall of the steam chamber 21. Thesteam pipe 34 may be readily inserted through the opening 38 in thebottom of the steam conditioning chamber 8.

The splashing of water within the hollow body due to the moving of thepressing iron backward and forward is reduced by means of a transversebafile 4| formed integral with the side walls of the hollow body andspaced from the bottom to provide a relatively large opening orpassageway 42 between the lower edge of the baflle 4| and the bottomwall 3 to permit water to pass freely below the partition 4|. Also thetop wall of the partition is spaced from the top wall 2 of the body toprovide a relatively small passageway or opening 43 for the passage ofsteam.

The transverse baflle 4|, which is located intermediate of the ends ofthe reservoir 6, will permit free passage of steam from the space inrear of the transverse baflle anaemia V 7 4| to the space in frontofsaid bame 4|, and the relatively large opening 42 at the bottom of theballle 4| will permit water to pass freely beneath the baffle. Shouldthe pressingiron be set upon its heel or rear end, the water willpass-freely into the space in rear of the transverse baille 4i, and, asthe means for conducting steam from the water reservoir to the pressingsurface of the iron is located at the front end of the pressing iron,there will be no liability of such means being flooded when the iron isset upon its heel or rear end. when the iron is moved forwardly in theoperation of ironing garments or other fabrics, the water within it willsplash rearwardly against the front of the bailie 4| and. when thepressing iron is moved in the opposite direction, the baille 4| willreduce the splash and the bailie 4| will shield the pipe ll from thesplash. Also the pressing iron may be moved rapidly sidewise and anysplashing of the water within it due to such sidewise movement will beprevented from entering the pipe fl and steam may be taken substantiallydirectly from the .water reservoir without providing the usual steamdome for preventing water from entering the pipe for conducting steam tothe pressing surface of the iron.

- Also the particular arrangement of the steam pipes 3| and 34 and theprotecting partition I and the bailies 32 and 4| reduce to a minimum theamount of material necessary for or employed in the manufacture ofelectric steaming irons and the amount of work required in themanufacture of the irons ismaterially reduced, thereby greatly lesseningthe cost of manufacturing the pressing iron.

The cover plate fl is provided at its lower face with an enlargement 44which fits substantially snugly within the opening 22 in the top wall 2of the hollow body I, thereby providing a firm structure adapted toprevent any lateral or longitudinal movement of the cover plate on thetop wall 2.

The pressing iron is provided with a handle 45 of conventional form andof Bakelite" or other suitable material secured to the top wall 2 of thebody I by front and rear bolts 46 and 41 arranged as shown and describedin the aforesaid application. The hollow body is provided with a fillingorifice which is normally closed by a screw plug 48 or other suitableclosure.

The water reservoir is partially filled with water preferably toapproximately the level indicated at 9 in Figure 1 of the drawing. Thesteam generated by the heating of the water is taken from the upperportion of the water reservoir and passes through the pipe it into thewater trapping and steam conditioning chamber 8 where any water isvaporized and converted into steam of the proper condition for dischargefrom the pressing surface of the iron. The conditioned steam passesthrough the steam pipe 34 into the steam chamber 21 and is discharged atthe pressing surface of the iron through the perforations 28.

In Figures 3 and 4 is illustrated another and simpler form of theinvention in whichsteam is taken directly from the upper portion of thewater reservoir and is passed into the water trapping and steamconditioning chamber 4: through an inclined steam passage extendingdownwardly and forwardly from the upper portion of the partition 80, sothat any water carried by the steam into the chamber 49 will .with oneanother,

fall by gravity into the lower portion thereof and be vaporized beforepassing through the steampipe 6| into the steam chamber for dischargefrom the perforations 83 leading to the pressing surface of the pressingiron.

With the exception of the steam passage 50- and the omission of a baffle32 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the pressing ironillustrated in the modified form of the ineluding a hollow bodyconsisting of a, sh ll h ing top, bottom and side walls formed integrala pressing shoe secured to the bottom of said body and having a pressingsurface, the body being provided at the extreme front end with aninterior transverse partition extending entirely across the shell fromtop to bottom thereof and forming with the front and side walls of thebody a vertically disposed narrow water trapping and steam conditioningchamber extending transversely entirely across the front end of the ironand located in advance of the water reservoir and belowthe top wall ofthe shell and having means located'below the top wall of the body andadjacent said top wall and providing communication with the steam spaceof the reservoir above the normal water line of the same, a second steamchamber formed between the bottom of said body and said shoe andconfined immediately below said water trapping and steam conditioningchamber and having outlets thereat leading through the pressing surfaceof the shoe, the pressing surface of the shoe throughout its area beingimperforate save for said outlets leading from said second steamchamber, a steam conducting pipe confined within the front watertrapping and steam conditioning chamber and extending downwardly fromthe upper portion of the same and communicating with said steam chamber,and an electric heater disposed between the hollow body and the shoe forgenerating steam in the water reservoir. v

2. A self-contained steaming iron including a hollow body consisting ofa shell forming a water reservoir and having top, bottom and side wallsformed integral with one another, a pressing shoe having a pressingsurface and securedto the bottom of said body, the latter being providedat the extreme front end thereof with an interior transverse partitionextending entirely across the iron from .the bottom to the top of theshell and forming with the front and side walls of the body a verticallydisposed narrow water trapping steam conditioning chamber extendingentirely across the front end of the iron and located in advance of thewater reservoir and below the top wall of the shell, a transverse baillelocated within the hollow body and extending entirely across the sameand from the top to the bottom of said body and spaced rearwardly fromthe transverse partition to form an interspace between it and in itsupper portion with apertures establishing communication between saidinterspace and the said partition and provided steam space of thereservoir above the normal water line in the reservoir, said baiiiebeing imperforate from said normal water line toJbe bottom 01! thehollow body, a relatively short steam conducting pipe located whollywithin the upper portion of said interspace and extending through saidpartition and communicating with the \water trapping and steamconditioning chamber, said pipe extending upwardly from 10 said point orcommunication with said chamber and terminating in an open upper endlocated below and adjacent the top wall of the shell, and a steam pipeconfined wholly within the water trapping and steam conditioning chamberand extending upwardly from the bottom 01 the said chamber andcommunicating at its lower end with the pressing surface of the shoe andhaving an open upper end located above the lower end of the relativelyshort pipe.

LOUIS V. ECKSTEIN.

